


The Optimist In Me

by nunvill



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, but only by like a few years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11861541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nunvill/pseuds/nunvill
Summary: Days off are rare for them, and Alec intends to make this one last a lifetime.





	The Optimist In Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [unitedstony](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unitedstony/gifts).



> I'm not sure what inspired me write this lil thing, but this one's for Inez when she gets back from camp! Sorry it's not longer, I'm not capable of writing long oneshots because I'm awful.

It's rare that a day comes along where both of them are free of their typical responsibilities. Their schedules are so conflicting and intertwining that whenever one of them has a day off, the other is almost always stuck working. It's been nearly two years since the fated wedding that brought them together, and through all that time, they have always found time for each other, even with their difficult work needs.

And sometimes, once a month or so, a day comes where there are no clients in need of a magical remedy and the Institute is a well-oiled machine that can run itself for a day, and they have time to do whatever the hell they want. Their rule is that these days are for them, and they revel in the ease of just being able to just be with each other with no obligations to separate them for a whole twenty-four hours.

It's mornings like this, Alec thinks as he moves his fingers through his boyfriend's hair, that make him realize just how lucky he is. Magnus's breath brushes lightly against Alec's bare chest where his head is resting on his shoulder, his arm a comforting weight across his abdomen, and his eyelashes flutter gently against Alec's skin while he sleeps.

Alec surprises himself by having to blink back tears. To think he came so close to missing out on this- that they almost missed each other. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, just how content he is with this man.

Normally on these free days, since Alec is almost always awake before Magnus, he'd get started on breakfast and coffee and wait for the warlock to be roused from his slumber by the smell of bacon frying in a pan, venturing into their kitchen with a blanket around his shoulders and a smile on his face. Today, though...today feels different. And so he just watches. And thinks. And makes a decision he'd already made a long time ago.

It's like Magnus can hear him thinking, because it's not a minute later that his eyelids blink open once or twice before he takes a deep breath and finally opens them for real.

"Goodmorning," is whispered into the air as gentle kisses are pressed into Alec's neck and jaw and,  _finally_ , his lips. Alec hums and his arms have a mind of their own as they wrap themselves around the warm body in front of them.

"Hm...'morning," Alec murmurs against Magnus's lips with a private smile. The kiss is a little uncoordinated and they both have stale morning breath but it's perfect because it's _them_. Magnus drops his head back down to rest on Alec's shoulder, hand idly tracing runes on his chest, and exhales quietly.

"I'm surprised you aren't already up and moving," he muses. "It's an odd day that the sun is up before you are." he's exaggerating and they both know it, but Alec doesn't deny being a bit of an early riser. Instead, he chuckles his agreement into Magnus's hair, which is a little stiff from any product left in it from the day before, but still soft somehow.

"I guess I needed an extra hour or so today," Alec moves to sit up. "Do you want breakfast?"

Before he can throw the covers off, Magnus's fingers are curling around his wrist and tugging him back down to their previous position. The warlock shakes his head.

"Not yet. Let's just...stay here for a while. It's nice." And his golden eyes slip shut once more, the fingers of one hand still looped around Alec's wrist and the other hand back to tracing runes along the shadowhunter's skin.

The sun shining through the crack in the curtains is making Magnus glow more than usual. Soft shadows pool under his eyes, making them seem even brighter, and light dances along his cheekbones in a way that makes Alec's breath catch in his throat. For someone who is biologically half demon, Alec has never met anyone more angelic than Magnus Bane.

"I like being able to just have you all to myself like this, even if it's just for a day at a time," Magnus mumbles, already half asleep again.

And watching a gentle smile play at the warlock's lips, feeling his thumb catch the edge of the _deflect_ rune, Alec has to agree. He opens his mouth to do so, but what comes out is, well...

"Marry me."

For a second, Alec feels like time has stopped right alongside his heart. Magnus's entire body goes rigid and his hand ceases its ministrations to the marks on Alec's skin and Alec immediately wants to take it back.

Alec can hear his blood rushing in his ears and his heart might as well be having some sort of hissy fit in his chest. It's ten seconds, the most nerve-wracking ten seconds of his life, before Magnus says something.

It feels like his whole world is shifting with Magnus as his boyfriend moves to prop himself up on an elbow to look Alec in the eyes, all traces of sleepiness gone from his expression. His gaze is clear and questioning and Alec wants to curl up in some hole and never come out.

"What?" Magnus whispers, eyes wide like he heard Alec wrong somehow. As if there's something Alec would rather do in this world than share it with him.

He considers, for a brief moment, laughing it off as a joke. But then he remembers that he's been wanting to do this for a long time, and there is no point in delaying it because he _wants this_. He wants this so bad he feels like his heart is going to stop any moment. And just because it wasn't exactly how he planned it originally- well, there's no time like the present, right?

So instead of backtracking, Alec continues on. He sits up and leans over the side of the bed where his jeans are haphazardly lying in a pile on the floor from the night before. A small black box is retrieved from the right pocket and he returns to his position on the bed with it in hand.

Once the box is opened, he asks again, this time more purposefully.

"Will you marry me?"

Magnus's eyes are studying Alec's face like he can't believe this is really happening. Then, they flicker down to look at the ring inside the box and fill with tears.

For a terrifying moment Alec thinks he's ruined everything and upset Magnus somehow, but he's proven wrong when a half-laugh, half-sob escapes Magnus's mouth. Then, he looks Alec in the eyes once more, an unbelieving smile pulling at his lips.

"You want to marry me?" his voice cracks, and it breaks Alec's heart how surprised Magnus sounds- like he can't believe Alec would want to be by his side for the rest of his life.

"Of course," is the immediate response. Alec catches Magnus's hand in his own and presses a kiss to his palm. "Magnus, of course I want to marry you," he squeezes the hand, and the hand squeezes back twice as hard. "I...I can't imagine my life without you in it, and I don't ever want to."

Magnus gives another sob-laugh, wiping under his eyes when the tears finally start to fall.

"Me neither, _God_ , me neither," Magnus sounds near hysterical with the way he's laughing through the tears (the first tear that fell was like the first raindrop of a flash flood and once he started to cry, he couldn't stop and he's so so beautiful). "I love you. I love you _so much_."

Alec laughs along with him because he can't help himself. He feels giddy because even though he hasn't gotten a real answer yet, he has a feeling he already knows.

"I love you too..." Alec wipes away a few stray tears and Magnus's eyes gleam with adoration. "So, is, uhm...is that a yes?" he asks, hoping and wishing and praying to whoever will listen that it is.

Magnus looks at him like he's an idiot, but also a little bit like he hung the God damn moon and stars. And then he smiles like he knows something that Alec doesn't before pressing that smile to Alec's own in a sweet kiss that gives Alec his answer.

"Of course it's a yes, you stupid Nephilim." Magnus whispers, just in case Alec didn't catch on.

And everything falls into place.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and criticisms are welcome!


End file.
